January 2022 is National Radon Action Month.
January is National Radon Action Month. Each year upwards of 22,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer. Roughly 54 percent of those diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer are expected to live no more than five years after diagnosis
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers in the United States. Radon is a natural, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the natural decay of Uranium. The effects upon the families it touches can be just as devastating as lung cancer caused by smoking tobacco.
Measuring your home’s radon level is recommended for any home in any location throughout the year. But, January is when the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations join efforts to increase awareness across the National about this easily preventable source of lung cancer.
The NC Radon Program will be making 6,000 free short-term radon test kits available beginning in January 2022.
The short-term radon test kits will only be available by ordering through the North Carolina Radon Program website at www.ncradon.org. There is no charge for these kits; both postage and analysis costs are paid.
The North Carolina Radon Program of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services educates families and homeowners about radon gas, how to test for radon gas and how to lower the radon levels within a home. Lowering the radon levels in a home lowers the risk of lung cancer.
As a reminder, radon test kits can be purchased at most local hardware stores for under $20. The cost of lowering radon levels in a home is an average of about $1,500.
Lung cancer can strike anyone, even a nonsmoker. Test your home for radon and lower your family’s risk of lung cancer. For more information visit www.ncradon.org.